Dinky Toy
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The Dinky Toy first appeared in early 1934 when Meccano Ltd of Liverpool, England introduced a new line of 'modelled miniatures' under the trade mark "Meccano Dinky Toys". The first announcement for the new line was found in the April 1934 issue of "Meccano Magazine" The set of vehicles were designated No 22 and comprised six 1:43 scale models:
- 22a Sports Car
- 22b Sports Coupe
- 22c Motor Truck
- 22d Delivery Van (with same chassis and cab as 22c)
- 22e Tractor
- 22f Tank
Later extended (?) with:
- 22g: Streamlined Tourer
This set was a carryover to the new trademark of the No 22 set of vehicles introduced by Meccano as accessories for their O scale Hornby Railways model train sets. Other items in the 1-22 range included track workers, passengers, station staff and other trackside accessories.
Once the Dinky name was established, about a year and a half later Meccano claimed upwards of 200 model variations in the line. The first models were generic representations of vehicle types. In 1935, new series were introduced with the likeness of specific vehicles. Series 30 included :
- 30a Chrysler Airflow Saloon
- 30b Rolls Royce
- 30c Daimler
- 30d Vauxhall
The commercial vehicles line dramatically expanded with the addition of Series 25 which introduced several new vehicles for hauling freight. Liveries of well known companies began to decorate the sides. Tanker trucks were brought out to supply the petrol for all the new model cars on the layout.
The older Dinky Toy models are now highly collectible.Template:Toys-stub